The strategic communications graduate helped provide publicity and promotion for the hit ABC show “Abbott Elementary” and was honored with Warner Bros. Discovery colleagues during the 60th annual ICG Publicists Awards ceremony.
The mockumentary sitcom “Abbott Elementary” has captivated audiences everywhere en route to winning numerous awards, and now an Elon University alumna has garnered her own accolade for helping promote and publicize the hit ABC show.
Sarah Teicher ’18, a publicist at Warner Bros. Television Group, was honored alongside her colleagues Celia Sacks, Michaela Zukowski and Rachel Villegas with the Maxwell Weinberg Award for Television Publicity Campaign at the 60th Annual ICG Publicists Awards.
The award was presented during a March 10 ceremony at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, and recognizes outstanding achievements made by active members working in television in publicity and promotion. Since 1964, the ICG Publicists Awards have honored excellence in publicity and promotion for motion pictures and television programs, spotlighting the work of union publicists. Recipients are selected in several categories and are voted on by their peers.
The Emmy Award-winning television show has attracted more than 10 million viewers since airing its first episode in December 2021. In her role with Warner Bros. Television Group, Teicher has worked on the show since its launch, and she praised creator and writer Quinta Brunson for the show’s enormous success.
“It has been a labor of love and a truly collaborative effort,” Teicher said. “I talk to my teammates on this show more often than I talk to my family at this point. Everyone who works on this show believes in it so deeply. Quinta Brunson is a visionary with a distinct vision for how she wants the series communicated to viewers. It is an honor to work hand-in-hand with her on ‘Abbott Elementary.’”
A Los Angeles native, Teicher eventually moved and grew up in Washington, D.C., before finding a new home at Elon. In hindsight, the alumna said she always felt that her ambitions remained unfulfilled back in her hometown and that has impacted her career choices.
“I always aspired to return and build a career in entertainment public relations,” Teicher said. “I was determined to break into this competitive industry, and to have the opportunity to work with so many talented people and to receive an award like this at this stage in my career is surreal.”
Teicher started her career with Warner Bros. Television Group four years ago as an executive assistant. From there, she worked up the ranks to become a coordinator, and now her current role as a publicist.
While Hollywood has a reputation of being intimidating and difficult, Teicher considers Warner Bros. Discovery to be “a positive and empowering workplace.” However, she still recognizes the tenacity, determination and hard work that an individual needs to progress in their career in the entertainment capital of the world.
While reflecting on her time at Elon, the strategic communications major credited her internships and networking as the most important aspects that got her foot in the industry. She also expressed her gratitude to Amber Moser, who then worked for the Student Professional Development Center, for being a “lovely person to talk to in the midst of job application stress.”
During her four years studying at Elon, Teicher also interned with Showtime Networks/ViacomCBS, KINC Communications Agency and Frederick Keys, working in corporate communication, public relations and marketing departments.
“It was through my internships that I really learned how to function in the workplace,” she said. “It was also through those internships that I made connections with studio and network employees who then helped set me up with their colleagues for informational interviews and open roles. I still talk to my intern supervisors to this day. In fact, some of them now work with me at Warner Bros.”
Teicher encourages students who want to follow in her footsteps to chase their dreams, no matter how daunting the journey may seem. Her main advice is to continually network and make connections, especially once an individual arrives on the West Coast.
“Hollywood is a small town and you never know who you are going to meet and how they can help get you your next job or opportunity,” Teicher said. “Also, because Hollywood is so small and people talk, make sure to always be kind. I know it seems cliche, but it is truly so important. Our jobs are really exciting and cool, but no actor, role or script is so important that it means you should not be anything but kind.”